


Second Sight

by chaosmanor



Series: The Gift [12]
Category: Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, M/M, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-12
Updated: 2003-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-10 23:34:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/105662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosmanor/pseuds/chaosmanor





	Second Sight

Legolas was still in Imladris when winter fell. Elrond had asked all the Council participants to stay on after the Council. The Elda had said that until the Nazgul were accounted for, none should travel abroad, and that he might need to call upon the Council members' knowledge of the Ring before he chose who would travel to Mordor with Frodo and Sam.

Legolas had been happy to stay, knowing that the first winter snows would make the High Pass unusable, and not wanting to chance a late Autumn crossing. He had seen nothing of Elladan or Elrohir since the Council as they had left immediately for Lorien, hoping to make their return before the Redhorn Pass closed in the deep of winter. Aragorn had gone with the Rangers and Gandalf to track the Nazgul down the Greyflood.

Of all the places on Middle Earth to be, Imladris was the best. Legolas' elven spirit thrived there. There was music and song, and books of lore. He read in the library all he could find on the history of the Ring. There had been one memorable afternoon when he had found an inconsistency between two accounts of the fall of Eregion and the death of Celebrimbor, and he had asked Glorfindel for clarification. Glorfindel had consulted Elrond and the three of them had spread the books, and several maps, on a large table in the library. Elrond had called Erestor over, and Legolas had listened in awe as the Eldar had compared recollections of the battle, and had eventually argued over the inconsistency, oblivious to Legolas listening delightedly to the heated discussion.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Not long after that afternoon, Legolas had been sitting on one of the small balconies, with his chin resting on his knees, watching the afternoon autumn sunlight filter through the ever present mist from the falls when a small noise had drawn him back to the present. Glorfindel was standing beside him.

"May I join you?" the Elda asked.

Legolas nodded agreement, and Glorfindel gracefully sank to the decking.

"Legolas, why did your father send you to Imladris, rather than one of your elder brothers?" asked Glorfindel.

"Both of my brothers' wives are pregnant at the moment, so neither of my brothers were happy to go on a long journey. Why?" responded Legolas.

"Your father has not sent you much into the world before. In the past, your second brother has travelled to Imladris," replied Glorfindel. "I was curious as to why he had chosen you this time. That was all."

"I am glad I was chosen. I have never crossed the Misty Mountains before. All my life has been spent in or near the Realm, riding the borders. Until now I have lived an indulged and pointless life. Now I've finally travelled to Imladris and attended a Council meeting. I've always wanted more responsibility."

"You think your life has been pointless? Look at your hands. It is said that you can tell a person's worth by their hands."

Legolas held out his hands in front of himself. They were clean, with the nails cut short. The right hand fingers were heavily callused from the draw back of his bow, the left hand fingers were callused from guiding the arrow. The palm of his right hand was roughened from smoothing the fletches of his arrows, and he had a nick on his right thumb from trimming a fletch.

He glanced at Glorfindel's hands. Glorfindel's hands were stained with ink from scribing, and he had calluses on his right hand fingers from grasping a stylus.

"Neither of us lead pointless lives," said Glorfindel, also studying their hands.

"I am accurate with a bow. That is no great task."

"Accurate? You are probably the best archer in Middle Earth. I have seen better in Aman, but none here. How many orcs have you killed?" asked Glorfindel.

Legolas looked blankly at Glorfindel. "I do not know," he said.

"There are elves and men, and Yavanna's creations too, who would have been harmed by those orcs if they had lived. Sorrow and grief unknown has been prevented by your bow. That is not a life without point," said Glorfindel. "I can only hope that my scribing is worth one half of the good your bow and arrows have done."

Glorfindel left him with his thoughts at that point, and Legolas continued to stare at his hands for some time.

* * * * * * * * *

Glorfindel's words had lingered with Legolas, and he had taken careful note of the hands of the people around him. The dwarves Gloin and Gimli had hands roughened by work in forges and mines. When he had asked them about their work, they had laughed at his questions and taken him to Imladris' forge, where they had been labouring with the elvensmiths. The forge was unbearably hot, and the work difficult and he had been awed by their skill with the malleable metal.

The halflings had soft little hands, apart from Sam, whose hands were toughened and stained by his work as a gardener. Frodo's hands were ink stained like Glorfindels, from his work on Bilbo's book.

Amongst the elves, ink stains were common, as all of the Eldar laboured in the library. Elrond had come to dinner one night with hands blotched bright yellow and green. "From a spilt tincture," he had announced to the table to ease the palpable curiosity. Lindor was Seneschal, and his hands showed his constant labour running the household. Erestor worked within the medicinal herb garden. Gildor managed the library shelving, as Legolas discovered the first time he was unable to find the place a tome had come from, and Gildor's hands were covered in fine cuts from the paper, as well as dust smudges.

And Legolas' hands were callused and nicked from the bow and arrow.

* * * * * * *

One cold day in late autumn, the Rangers and Gandalf had ridden in from their search of the Greyflood whilst Legolas had been out exercising his horse in the open parts of the valley. The stables were crowded and noisy with Rangers and their horses when he returned to the stable to dismount and groom his horse. He looked for Aragorn, but could not see him amongst the crowd.

Legolas headed for the hot spring straight from the stables, having heard the Rangers discussing having a late midday meal before they relaxed in the spring. Over the previous few weeks he had become used to bathing in the spring alone, and he was not keen on sharing it with a crowd of Rangers.

Legolas had been alone in the spring, enjoying the hot milky water, for a few minutes when approaching voices warned that his privacy had ended, and Aragorn and Gandalf opened the door. The three of them exchanged greetings as Gandalf and Aragorn stripped their clothes off and washed off the grime of their journey at the wash troughs. Gandalf's body was ageless and strong under his grey robes, showing none of the passage of time that his face did. Aragorn was beautiful naked. He was muscular and lean, the hair of his chest was joined with that of his groin by a line that ran down his belly, and his skin glistened wet from the wash. Legolas had to remind himself to breathe as Aragorn clambered into the hot tub. Both he and Gandalf sunk down into the water with groans of pleasure, and looks of bliss on their faces.

Gandalf leant his head back on the edge of the tub and a look of contentment spread across his face as he floated with his eyes closed.

Aragorn emerged from beneath the water and shook his head to get his wet hair out of his eyes. "Has anything happened whilst we've been out being cold and wet?' he asked.

Legolas remembered that the hot spring had a strict "no business to be discussed" rule and wondered what he could talk about. Then he recalled one of the messes the hobbits had made. "Merry and Pippin tried to fill the hot tub with soap and bubbles, and it made a horrible scum. They had to scrub it out," he said, sure that didn't count as business.

Aragorn laughed, and Gandalf's smile increased at this and Aragorn said "I always wanted to do that as a child, but I had a terrible aversion to soap and could never bear the thought of getting into the bubbles. So I never tried."

"I believe the twins did the same when they were little, with the same result as Merry and Pippin. And I have heard a whisper that Erestor and Lindor got drunk one night and also tried. But they used sodium carbonate as well as soap, and it worked. I will ask Elrond for the details at dinner tonight. It will cheer the halflings up," said Gandalf. "And if either of you is planning to repeat the prank, Lindor keeps the sodium carbonate under lock and key."

There was silence for a few minutes. Legolas wondered what was safe to talk about. Obviously the journey that Gandalf, Aragorn and the Rangers had made was business. So was much of what he had read about whilst they were away, which was a pity as he had many questions for Gandalf.

Legolas hoped that having Aragorn mostly under the milky and opaque water would ease his body's response to the naked man climbing into the hot spring, and it had, but he still wasn't keen on getting out of the hot tub for a while.

When several of the Ranger's came into the room, stripped and began soaping themselves in preparation for soaking in the spring, Legolas decided he had better leave, and as the men started climbing into the bath, he took the opportunity of slipping out of it during the commotion.

Aragorn caught a glimpse of long, smooth, pale legs clambering out of the bath, and, as he exchanged insults with one of the Ranger's, saw dark golden body hair and perfect firm buttocks as well. He felt his cock begin to harden, and quickly averted his eyes from the sight of Legolas drying himself. His imagination pressed Legolas' body to his and pushed one of the elf's legs up against his shoulder, and blood surged to his cock. The desire in him wished for so much more than a glimpse of Legolas' body, and the rational part of him joined his conscience in screaming at him for the rush of pleasure a casual, quick glimpse in a public place had brought.

Aragorn sunk completely back under the water, hoping fervently that Arwen was going to want sex that night.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Legolas, may I have a moment of your time?" asked Glorfindel when Legolas was waiting in the Hall of Fire for the dinner bell to ring one evening.

"Of course, Glorfindel," said Legolas.

Glorfindel led Legolas back through the main hall to the private chambers of the household. Glorfindel had a large room overlooking the waterfalls, with a bed at one end of the room, and a group of three comfortable chairs in front of the fire at the other end. Glorfindel gestured to one of the chairs and took the chair across from it.

"Elrond is considering who to include in the party to accompany Frodo and Sam to Mordor. Would you be interested in going?" asked Glorfindel.

Legolas stared at Glorfindel in amazement. "Me?" he finally asked.

"Yes, you. Don't look so surprised. You are a superb archer, and you should know to never undervalue the importance of ranged weapons," Glorfindel responded.

"I would need my father's consent before going, and it would take too long to send a messenger to Greenwood and back," Legolas said.

"When your guard returned to Greenwood, they carried a request from me to your father for permission. I've received a reply, and your father has agreed," said Glorfindel. "Would you go if asked?"

"Yes, I would go, if I was chosen," said Legolas.

"I will put your name forward then. You will need to attend an interview," said Glorfindel.

"What will I be asked? Do you know?" asked Legolas, concern on his face.

"I know what you will be asked, and I can't tell you. It would be unfair," said Glorfindel. "I can tell you that you won't be asked anything you cannot answer."

In the distance the dinner bell chimed. Glorfindel rose and held out his right forearm to Legolas for a warrior's embrace. Legolas stood and took the offered arm. "You would be an excellent choice. Good luck," said Glorfindel, "and we will be late for dinner if we do not hurry."

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

As Legolas stood up at the end of dinner the next night, Glorfindel touched him on the arm. "Elrond would like to ask you some questions. Go now and wait outside his study. He'll call you when he is ready," he said.

 

After an interminable wait listening to rain fall on the roof and gurgle down the gutters, Legolas was ushered into Elrond's study and found himself nervously facing the gathered Eldar of Imladris. Elrond was standing by the fire; Erestor, Glorfindel and Gildor were seated in front of the fire. Gandalf sat beside a large table covered with tomes, with Aragorn on the other side of the table from him.

"Sit down, Legolas. It is our intention that all of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth be represented on this quest. We are attempting to choose an elf to join the party," Elrond said, indicating a chair a little apart from the others. "I've asked Aragorn to join us because his own fate is intertwined with the fate of the One Ring."

"May I ask a question?" said Legolas.

Elrond nodded in response to Legolas' request, obviously surprised.

"Why are you looking for an elf to join the party? Aren't Elladan and Elrohir the obvious choices?" asked Legolas.

Elrond looked a little startled at Legolas' question. After a pause he replied gravely, "I have doubts about the Doom of the Noldor being fully resolved. Whilst Lady Galadriel is still exiled from Aman because of her actions, the Doom is not over, and I am not prepared to risk sending two Noldorions with Frodo and the Ring. If the time ever comes that Galadriel's exile is lifted, then my heart will be easier with regard to my own two sons."

Legolas nodded. "Thankyou for answering," he said.

"We do not know you well here in Imladris, so we wish to ask you some questions. We need to know the worst thing that has ever happened to you. Please, tell us," said Elrond.

Legolas's mind fled instantly to the past, and he thought that maybe the floor of the room had tilted for instant as the grief came welling up. He hesitated, unable to bring himself to speak of such a private matter in front of so many people. The rain drummed on the roof, louder even than the waterfalls.

"Legolas. You must answer. We need to know what adversity you have faced in order to gauge your strength. If you tell us that nothing bad has ever happened to you, then the interview is over," said Elrond.

Legolas took a deep breath. "When I was very young, I lost a lover. No, I didn't lose him, my father exiled him because I was under the age of consent," Legolas said, not able to look directly at the faces of any of the people in the room.

Elrond nodded and waved his hand in a gesture that meant 'continue'.

Legolas closed his eyes briefly against the pain rising in his heart. Then he looked up and continued, "I am still angry about it. I had been handed around the ladies of the Court, and my father had made no complaint at that. I loved someone close to my own age and he was furious. My father did not even allow us to say "goodbye" before he, and his family, travelled West."

Elrond nodded again.

"I was humiliated too. In order to get proof that we were lovers, my father used the Chatelaine's keys to enter my room whilst we were there together," Legolas said. He heard a sharp intake of breath from one of the group. "One of my brothers helped us, but the humiliation and embarrassment are something I will never forget." Legolas felt his hands begin to shake and gripped them together to hide the tremors.

Elrond's voice came from much closer this time when he said, "What did you learn from this incident?"

Legolas looked up to see Elrond standing over him. "That my father could make a wrong decision," he said. "That my brothers could be unexpectedly supportive. And to always wedge a chair against my bedroom door," Legolas finished wryly.

Legolas looked at the faces on the other people in the room for the first time. Erestor's face was blank, Glorfindel's was kind. Gandalf had both hands clasped around his staff and his head was bowed. Aragorn was watching him intently, his eyes dark with concentration, his hands clenched on his lap.

Elrond paced back to the mantelpiece and turned and asked, "Why do you want to go?"

Legolas felt on sounder ground with the change of question. He had expected to be asked this. "My life has been restricted so far. I dance with the ladies in my Father's court, or I ride the borders of the Realm, hunting orcs. Middle Earth is bigger than Greenwood, and I wish for a bigger life than Greenwood can offer," he said.

Elrond walked back across to stand beside Legolas again and asked, "Do you hunger after the One Ring?"

"No," replied Legolas simply.

"Have you seen the ring close at hand," asked Elrond, staring at Legolas.

"Yes," he said.

"And it does not speak to you?" probed Elrond.

"No," Legolas answered.

"What about either of these?" asked Elrond bending down beside Legolas' chair and pulling a chain out from under his robe. A golden ring set with a glittering sapphire hung from the chain. With his other hand Elrond gestured to Gandalf, who rose from his chair and came to stand over Legolas. He also reached into the neck of his robes and pulled out a ring on a chain. This ring was set with a ruby of the deepest red.

Legolas looked from one ring to another and shook his head. "No, neither of these."

It was Gandalf who spoke as he returned his ring to under his clothing. "Thank you Legolas, you've answered our concerns. You may go now."

 

"Any opinions?" asked Elrond, a few minutes later as they all stood around the fire holding goblets of wine.

"Why did his father agree to him going?" asked Erestor. "He is in line for the throne, isn't he?"

Glorfindel shook his head. "He has two older brothers, who have eleven children between them. There are plenty of heirs."

"I do not think he hungers after the Ring, though pressuring him with Vilya and Narya was probably necessary. He had no chance of lying successfully to us under the influence of both of the rings."

There was a solid thud of a goblet being banged onto a table and then the study door was slammed as Aragorn left the room in disgust.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Legolas sat in his room, the lamp unlit. Whatever he had expected, he never thought that he would have to talk about his past. His heart still stung at the memories that had been revived.

It was all still clear in his mind, even after the passage of so many years. They had been having hard, hot, satisfying sex. He had heard his brother, Berelias, shouting outside his door, calling "No, Ada." And then the locked door to his bedroom had been flung open and his father had been standing over them, shouting. His brother had pushed in front of his father and handed them both robes, and had then pulled their father, who was still shouting obscenities at them, out of the room. Legolas had pulled clothes on and left his lover sitting and sobbing in his room whilst he went to his father's study to face his father's anger. He had never seen his lover again.

Tears stung Legolas' eyes at the memory of that meeting with his father, and at what he had lost.

And now he had spoken of the loss in front of the gathered Eldar of Imladris. And in front of Aragorn.

 

Aragorn stood outside of Legolas' door, not quite believing that he was reaching out to Legolas. Common sense was warning him that he shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be making middle of the night visits to someone he was attracted to. Not when, in unguarded moments, he could imagine Legolas' legs wrapped … whilst he … And then he remembered the stricken look in Legolas' eyes when Elrond had first questioned him. He knocked softly on Legolas' door, the sound clear in the silence left behind by the passing storm.

 

When Legolas opened his door, Aragorn was standing outside, leaning against the wall. He was dressed in his leather Ranger clothes and was armed.

He nodded to Legolas and said, "I wanted to see how you were after the interview."

Legolas stood back from the door, moving into the shadows of his room, hoping the tears he had shed would not be visible to the man's sight. "It was difficult, but I am alright," he said.

Aragorn took a step closer to Legolas, and was close enough that Legolas could smell the tanned leather the man wore, and the scent of horses and sweat.

Aragorn could see the grief on Legolas' face as the elf hid in the shadows, and his need to soothe the beautiful creature in front of him quashed the warning voice of caution inside himself. He had to comfort Legolas. He reached out his hand, clad in a cut off leather glove, and brushed his fingertips across Legolas' cheek, tracing the tears. "Get your bow and tunic. We're going to hike up the valley to the high country to watch the stars fade and the sky lighten with the dawn."

Legolas stood still, unable to move away from the drift of Aragorn's fingertips across his face. Inside, the sting in his heart faded, eased by the care in the man's hand. He drew a deep breath, and turned away from the touch to gather his tunic, knife belt, bow and quiver.

Whilst Legolas had his back turned pulling on his tunic, Aragorn looked at his fingertips in the moonlight shining through the window, and the smear of moisture spread across them shone, and he gently touched the tips of his fingers to his lips.

Aragorn watched the elf buckle his knives on and said "I have bread and wine with me. We need nothing else."

Legolas turned to stand beside Aragorn. "I'm ready," he said

 

Twice as they had climbed out of the valley, Aragorn stopped and exchanged a series of whistles with unseen sentries. Apart from that, they climbed the slippery path without halt for several hours, past waterfalls and clefts, and through ancient, rain-washed forest.

Finally Aragorn led Legolas out of the forest and onto open ground. The sky was enormous above them, with the stars sparkling in the rain-scrubbed sky. The Misty Mountains loomed huge towards the East, and the sky around their peaks was only just beginning to lighten.

Aragorn sat down on a large flat boulder and opened the pack he had been carrying. Legolas sat beside him as he began to hack the bread into lumps with his dagger. "Do you often climb out of Imladris?" asked Legolas.

"Only occasionally. I find the valley closed in and claustrophobic after living in the Wild. Being in the open eases that. Do you find the valley closed in?" said Aragorn.

"I grew up in caves, so that does not worry me. The constant noise of the waterfalls is unsettling, however," replied Legolas, taking a piece of bread.

They sat in peace as the sky lightened and the stars faded until only Earendil shone in the dawn sky, sharing bread and wine. After a long silence Aragorn spoke. "I do not approve of the questioning you received last night," he said. "It was unnecessary. Elrond is justly famed for his insight and could have seen anything he wanted to. You shouldn't have had to reveal what you did."

Legolas looked at Aragorn, surprise on his face. "You question Elrond's choices?" he said.

Aragorn laughed at Legolas' surprise. "Frequently, unfortunately. We would have an easier friendship if I did not."

As they lapsed into silence again, Aragorn knew he had to tell Legolas about Arwen, and now. Bread and wine at dawn was normally a sign of more than friendship, and Aragorn couldn't risk that Legolas didn't know about his betrothal and had misread the invitation. However attracted Aragorn was to Legolas, however much he wished to ignore his commitment, he couldn't let it go any further.

Aragorn paused, then spoke quietly. "I am betrothed to Arwen," he said.

Legolas nodded. "Elladan told me," he said, carefully keeping his face neutral, wondering if he was being offered an illicit relationship.

Aragorn turned on the rock so as to see Legolas' face. "If things were different…" he began to say, and then faltered and his gaze dropped from Legolas' face to the bread.

Legolas sat on the rock, with the world lightening around him, and felt his heart pounding. He was being offered an apology, not a liaison, but Aragorn's almost confession was only fuelling Legolas' infatuation with him.

The moment slid away from them, and Aragorn began to pack up the leftover bread. Legolas stood up from the rock and shouldered his quiver and bow, and then Aragorn led the way back into the forest in silence.

 

They walked back to Imladris in silence, the brightening day lighting the air of the valley with rainbows in the mist. As Legolas turned to his door, Aragorn broke the silence. "Did you ever have any contact with your lover again?" he asked.

Legolas shook his head. "Not directly. In the day before he left, he did manage to send a package of songs and music to me, through my brother."

Aragorn nodded slightly and said, "One day, will you sing me the songs?" and strode off without waiting for Legolas to respond.

 

* * * * * *

Legolas hesitated outside of Elrond's study, reluctant to knock on the door after the previous evening's interview. The note asking him to see Elrond had been waiting on his door when he and Aragorn had returned from their hike. He had bathed and then answered the summons.

He knocked, hoping there would be no answer.

"Come in, Legolas. Would you like some wine?" were Elrond's first words on opening the door.

Legolas nodded his head as he took the offered seat, somewhat heartened by Elrond's kind tone and hospitality.

Elrond handed him his goblet and sat opposite him, across the fireplace. "I've had a furious Aragorn in here, berating me for questioning you about such a painful, personal matter last night," Elrond said.

Legolas studied his wine, and said "I think that if you question someone about the worst thing they have lived through, it is going to be painful. If it isn't, the person is too detatched from their own life, or is lying".

"Yes," Elrond agreed. "You're right." Elrond's grey eyes rested on Legolas' face. Legolas returned his gaze. Elrond said, "For the sake of equity, I will tell you the worst thing I have lived through." Elrond paused and Legolas could see him steeling himself mentally. "I was with Gil-Galad when he fell, in Mordor. He died in my arms, burnt to death by Sauron's heat." Elrond rested his head in his hands, elbows on the arms of his chair. Sorrow flowed from the elf, and Legolas felt helpless faced with such palpable grief. "Everyday I die a little more inside because he is gone."

Elrond lifted his head and spoke again, slowly and painfully. "I thought that marriage and children would ease the loss. I was wrong. I love my children dearly, but I failed Celebrian utterly, and she was no longer able to live in Middle Earth."

Elrond stood, crossed his room, opened his windows and walked through them onto his balcony. Legolas remained where he was, humbled by seeing such a great elf lord stricken with a grief older than he was. He began to understand that some of what intimidated him about Elrond was the mantle of grief he wore. His own grief at losing a lover seemed small and petty in comparison.

The cold wind blew in through the open windows, and Legolas could hear the persistent roar of the falls, and the distant sound of elvish voices raised in song. He wondered if he was supposed to leave, and stood and placed his wine on the table, ready to leave.

"Don't go, Legolas," Elrond said coming through the windows and closing them, voice and face controlled again. "Sit down again"

Legolas reclaimed his goblet and sat back down.

"We were more than happy with your responses last night, and would like you to join the Fellowship, if you still wish to go," Elrond said, sitting down.

"Yes, I wish to go," replied Legolas.

"The party stands at nine members. Gandalf, yourself for the First Born, Aragorn and Boromir for Men, Gimli for the Dwarves, and Sam, Frodo, Merry and Pippin for the Hobbits," said Elrond.

"Merry and Pippin?" said Legolas, thinking of their soft little hands. He was unable to keep surprise from his voice, and then thought that Aragorn would be pleased to see him questioning Elrond.

"My opinion too, but Gandalf is insistent they will go, and he sees many things clearly that I do not. This may be one of them," replied Elrond. "The party leaves the day after tomorrow. I would urge you to spend your time in the library with the maps of Middle Earth. Try not to get Erestor and Glorfindel embroiled in an argument over the accuracy of the maps this time."

Legolas stood and bowed and left, his mind preoccupied by Elrond's grief, rather than his own selection to join the party.

* * * * * *

Arwen stood as Aragorn pushed the door to her rooms open, dropping her book onto the window ledge beside her. He smiled at her, a hungry smile, and she felt her heart pound faster at recognition of what he wanted.

When Arwen kissed him on the cheek, Aragorn wound a tendril of her hair around a finger.

"You were away last night," Arwen said, keeping all recrimination out of her voice.

"I went into the Wild."

Arwen nodded. Aragorn often disappeared off by himself, looking for solitude. "Are you hungry then? Shall I arrange for some food?"

Araogrn shook his head and pulled gently on her hair, drawing her close to him. "I'm not hungery for food." He pressed his mouth against hers and held her body close to his.

Arwen felt Aragorn's hand rumpling her gown, pressing her close. He smelt of sweat and leather and Man, and she felt a thrill run through her. When he came to her like this, full of need, fresh out of the Wild, she loved him best.

He let go of her and she watched him wedge his sword, still sheathed, under the door handle. Somebody else would have locked the door, but her Aragorn ignored such niceties.

She walked ahead of him into her bedroom, sliding her robe off her shoulders and letting it slip to the floor behind her.

Aragorn followed her into her bedroom, unbuckling his jacket as he walked, dropping it to the floor alongside her robe. Arwen leant aginst the dresser and smiled at him, and Aragorn could smell her arousal from across the room, almost swore he could feel her soft slickness against his mouth already.

He crossed to her in three strides and picked her up and sat her on the dresser, oblivious to brushes and bottles of scent falling to the floor.

Arwen leant back on the dresser and opened her legs, and watched Aragorn drop to his knees in front of her. She leant back and closed her eyes and let the growing pleasure his mouth was giving her fuel the spell she was weaving with her fingers.

She opened his eyes when he stood up again and pushed his breeches down, then reached forward and guided his cock into her body. When he was buried in her, his face pressed against her neck, she moved her hand behind Aragorn's back and let the spell slide gently off her fingers onto him. She smiled to herself, then leant back again and let her orgasm build inside her.

Aragorn felt Arwen begin to tighten around as her moans became louder, and he thrust into her harder. He felt waves of love rolling through him as she came, and he came blindly too, calling her name. He never loved her nore than at moments like this, when their bodies where so close.

When he pulled away from her body, she smiled at him and stroked the Evenstar that hung around her neck once. "Missed you," she said. "We should bathe before dinner," she added.

* * * * * * * *

"I've heard that you will be coming with the Fellowship, " said Aragorn as they waited with many others to enter the Great Hall.

"Yes," answered Legolas.

"I'm glad you're going," said Aragorn after a pause.

Legolas turned to look at the man, a smile on his lips. "Why?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what Aragorn would say.

Aragorn grinned back at him. "Because you will prevent me from strangling Boromir when I finally lose patience with him. Because you will be a reliable person to stand watch at night. Because I can talk with you. Just because," he finished, before clapping Legolas on the shoulder and walking over to stand beside Arwen as the dinner bell rang.

"Because I won't have to work out how to say goodbye to you," Legolas whispered silently to himself.

Legolas watched Aragorn bend his head close to Arwen's and speak, and then she turned and looked Legolas over with an appraising eye.

* * * * * * * *

Legolas woke slowly, disturbed by the unfamiliar warmth of a body pressed against his. He sighed and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of waking next to someone. He had slept alone for a long time. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the cock pressing against his buttocks, the hand caressing his body slowly, waking the desire in him.

The hand kept stroking his hip and he felt someone nuzzling against his neck. He wondered briefly who he had taken to bed the night before because he could not remember inviting someone. He couldn't even recall drinking much wine.

He felt the fingers tangle in his pubic hair, then stroke his cock, calluses rough across the sensitive skin and he whispered, "Aragorn."

Legolas sat upright in his bed. The pillow beside him was empty, the sheets undisturbed. He said out loud, "Elbereth. If you are trying to warn me away from Aragorn because he is betrothed, that dream isn't going to help."

* * * * * * * * * *

The cold air of the dawn woke Aragorn as it crept under the covers, rousing him from a disturbing and vaguely erotic dream. He rolled over, relishing clean bedding and safe accomodation, and slid his arm around the body next to him, seeking warmth. He buried his face in Arwen's hair where it spilt over the pillow, pressing his body against her warmth, rubbing his cock against her buttocks. He slid his hand over her ribs, down the length of her side and over her hips to caress her buttock, beginning to hope that she would want sex before breakfast. Something troubled his mind, pulling him further awake, something that wasn't right. The length his hand had slid over was wrong, Arwen wasn't this tall, the buttock beneath his hand was firmer and flatter and male. Aragorn smelt the hair his face was surrounded by, smelling sunshine, not violets. Dawning realisation slid his hand over the hip for the definitive test. His hand closed over tangled pubic hair and hard cock. Aragorn knew there was only one male, one person he would consider betraying Arwen for; and he whispered "Legolas."

He jolted awake, and found himself alone in his own bed, cock painfully hard. Frustration welled within him and desire and relief that he had slept alone in his own bed last night after irritating Arwen with his restlessness. He reached for the remnant of the dream, the scent of the hair, as he began to stroke his cock, wishing he had stayed asleep, because he would have taken Legolas in his dream as he would never be able to in waking life.

* * * * * * * * *

 

Aragorn stood uncertainly in the dining hall, bowl of gruel and mug of tea in his hands. Legolas was sitting alone, contemplating the cup in his hands, and had not seen Aragorn. Aragorn thought that Legolas looked as though he was lit from within by summer sunshine, and he turned and went to the silent, empty Hall of Fire to eat his breakfast.

Gandalf found him some time later and sat beside him. "I thought that this morning we would teach the hobbits some basic geography, using one of the large maps of Middle Earth."

Aragorn looked up from the fire and nodded and said, "When I have finished my meal."

Gandalf picked up his bowl and considered the man before him and said, "Your meal is cold. Tell me what troubles you?"

Aragorn turned to Gandalf, wisest and most sympathetic of friends and said, "I dream, and I cannot forget my dreams."

Gandalf looked into his eyes and said, "Do you dream of power? Of control?"

Aragorn shook his head and said, "I dream of breaking a promise."

Gandalf considered for a moment, and saw no shadow over Aragorn, then spoke. "It is not the Ring then. You are a man, and you will dream of what you cannot have. But you will also dream of what you can have. Which is it?"

Aragorn said, "It is what I cannot have, but sometimes it seems as though all I would have to do is ask for it."

Gandalf peered at Aragorn and said "I am an Istari and am fond of obscuration myself, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Let us go and teach some hobbits how to find their way home."


End file.
